PEKAN, Aug 16 — Housing and Local Government Minister Zuraida Kamaruddin said today that her ministry would work with the Pahang government to find a suitable site for rare earths processing company Lynas Malaysia Sdn Bhd’s (Lynas) Permanent Disposal Facility (PDF) for its Water Leach Purification (WLP) residue.

The government has renewed Lynas’s licence for another six months, but with three conditions.

Lynas will have to move its cracking and leaching process, which is currently conducted at its plant in Gebeng, here, out of the country. Lynas will have to identify a specific site to construct a PDF and to obtain written permission from the state government for the use of that site. Lynas will have to end all research and development activities related to the use of the radioactive WLP residue as Condisoil in the field of agriculture.

"This (extension of Lynas’ operating licence) is a Cabinet decision that was discussed and agreed upon. I am a Cabinet member, so I must follow the decisions taken by the Cabinet,” Zuraid said when asked by reporters about the matter, here today.

Earlier, she had attended the prize-giving ceremony for winners of the Pahang Local Authorities Archery Championship at Arena Nahkota here. — Bernama